A milestone year for Habs’ Bouillon

The first-place Canadiens enjoyed a day off Thursday following Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto, which gave defenceman Francis Bouillon a chance to reflect on one NHL milestone and look forward to another.

Bouillon played in his 500th game in a Canadiens uniform on Monday against the Ottawa Senators and next week the 37-year-old will play in his 700th NHL game.

Bouillon told The Gazette’s Pat Hickey that during the lockout he was worried he might never play another NHL game.

“I was really worried during the lockout,” Bouillon said this week. “I have a one-year contract and I thought that if they cancelled the season, I wouldn’t have an opportunity to show that I could play.”

The lockout was just the latest in a series of adversities Bouillon has had to overcome in his career.

They need to rebuild and I am not sure how their GM doesn’t see it. They need a goalie big time cause kipper is not a spring chicken and Iggy is old. They are a shell of the team that challenged Tampa for the cup many eons ago

But I can tell you this much. When I watch a player for 4 or 5 games, I can get a very good sense of what he can and he can not do.

I see a lot of excellent hockey in this young man.

He is the type of young center that every team in the league would want, because of his 3 zone play, his skill level combining with a terrific work ethic, and yes, because he has shown he can produce offensively at the NHL level.

I think Ryan Callahan as Krob mentioned below.

And that is MY KIND OF PLAYER – all the way, every day.

His valuation as a player has been justified as well by several of the best and most highly regarded hockey people in the game.

Many have compared him favorably to some of the highest picks of the recent drafts, including Duchesne.

Those are all the points in favor of this young man, and I have left out many, many more.

The case for O’reilly is very similar to the case for Subban – and I was ready to give Subban 4.5 to 5 million per season.

Subban’s production has been higher, but O’reilly brings a ton of leadership and character to the table.

Center Ice is a must have for a hockey fan. Any nightt you can say yourself I wonder how this guy’s doin and then you flick. 8 year member here, but if you don’t like to watch other teams then CI is a waste.

You said it yourself, a bad Western Conference team. Imagine how he’d do on a good Western Conference team.

Colorado has a good young core, and they have grow together to perform. O’Reilly shows that his directions is up and not lateral.

We had two players who had up arrows. Both Kostitsyns were that, and then they were lateral and got moved.

I have CI as well and this is where my post comes from. As I mentioned above I’ve seen him play somewhere around thirty times because I watch the Sharks and Blackhawks every chance I get. The idea that O’Reilly is the kind of player that’s been discussed is nonsense in my opinion.

I’d be shocked if the point total he hit last season doesn’t end up being his exact or near career high.

and Colorado management sees the opposite. Who is better to decide? I can’t imagine with another high pick what it may do for their future. Now they get to keep their guy O’Reilly and most likely add another great pick this summer.

you are probably correct around a dozen games or so is likely what most have seen
Colorado did not want to pay him 5 million a year…to Calgary he worth 5 million in their minds.
Subban to me was not worth 5 million a year as a RFA either…BUT…had Philly offered him 5 mill for 2 years…Montreal likely would have matched IMO.
Feaster drove this cost and pretty much everyone agrees a RFA with his resume did not deserve that money right now…but when forced with what I deem a poor return for the player…on a team that has the cap space…I would have done what Colorado did.

I’m not even talking about money right now. I’m talking about O’Reilly as a player. The evaluations of him have been ridiculous. His offensive ceiling is talked about like he’s at Duchene’s level which is silly.

He’s also discussed as an elite defensive player. Which again is bollocks.

Defensive statistics rarely tell the story. Have a peak at Michael Grabner’s takeaways and tell me with a straight face those totals are legitimate.

Without O’Reilly Flames are still what they are …with him they would be aplayoff team IMO. They have tons of aging talent ont he wings and wanted to get to the dance now…Cammi, Tnaguya, Iginla…KIpper n nets and Wideman/Bouwmeester …those guys are there to compete now so Calgary rolled the dice. They just may actually be a good fit for someone like DD….but he is going nowhere…but if the HAbs were not eprforming so well you can bet they would be calling him. It is too bad Feaster didn;t just inquire about Stastny…he is likely availalbe as he has wanted out for a while and his Dad is more meddling than O’Reilly’s (although it is a little easire to respect Peter Stastny than Brian O’Reilly). Peter has been very vocal the last couple of seasons about his displeasures withthe organziation and some of their moves

Watching that veteran Flames team blow a big lead on Colorado last night was filled with irony. That team should not be blowing leads like that just as Feaster had to be convinced he was going to be landing O’Reilly.

I would like to personally thank Ryan O’Reilly, Jay Feaster and Greg Sherman for the topic du jour. This is far more enjoyable shredding two teams mgmt. stylings from the West, than the usual shredding of Habs mgmt.

Here’s a thought: if Calgary felt that O’Reilly is worth a 1st and a 3rd Round draft pick, would they be willing to offer a 1st Rounder for David Desharnais? I know opinion on DD is divided on this web site, would you consider that trade if Calgary were to make the offer today? Clearly, Calgary is shopping for a center.

Not even close….DD got the teams top two wingers and produced at approximately O’Reillys rate but he needs to be line matched. O’Reilly can play against anyone…..will block a shot with his teeth if necessary. He is part Tomas Plekanec and part Ryan Callahan….he is not a fighter and is not really a big guy either….but he is a heart and soul guy. I would not trade him for a potentially mid round first pick and mid 3rd round pick ….maybe years fronow as a rental if he was a UFA that would be a decent price…but for a guy like him under contract? not a chance I would trade O’Reilly for that…especially with Stastny already having one foot out the door it seems. I would not be surprised to see Stastny moved this off season…

I would take Calgary’s first immediately. A chance to get a top 5 in any draft, let alone this one, is worth giving up a player who is not likely in our long-term plans. Jones, MacKinnon, Drouin or Barkov would be an absolute dream swap for DD.

Hamilton Bulldogs Owner and Chairman Michael Andlauer announced today the hockey club has signed a three-year agreement with Global Spectrum to remain the primary tenant at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. Andlauer also announced the Bulldogs have signed a three-year extension to their affiliation agreement with the Montreal Canadiens.

___________________________________________________
Being a Hab fan is like buying real estate: only over the long-haul will you appreciate the true value of your investment.

Was watching the Booins-Sens game last night, and also looked in on the Bolts and Range game.

Lots of people have been saying that the teams we are playing against aren’t any good. I have news for those people: the Montreal Canadiens have been making those teams look bad. NY-TB was a mess of bad mistakes and slow, dopey play. Ott-Bos was disjointed and sloppy.

But you know what? They were both close games (TB-NY not so much at the end), as was Tor-NYI. This means that these teams, with their mistakes and weaknesses, are all on equal footing. When they play each other they match up, but when they play us, they don’t look so hot.

It’s not that they’re bad, it’s just that we’re better. And I guess some fans aren’t used to that feeling.

He did not get that money after his 32 point campaign Tom so how is that even remotely relevant? And you also know there is much more hockey and especially to O’Reillys game than points.
He got too much money…for sure he did…he should have been around 3.5…but if you put yourself in Colorados shoes itmakes sense.
They did not want to give him that money..and wouldn’t have…but what was their alternative? a 1st and a 3rd?
Nothing to help them for a couple of years and even then perhaps nothing? They had their hand forced…and had to match.

From Calagary’s persprective…they were willing to overpay for future returns….to acquire center where they have been lacking for years for nothing but money. They were willing to overpay as to them he was not a RFA…but just a FA agent. On their club they have no vets that he would have been making more than unjustly and no comparables so the money would have worked on their payscale/depth chart relative to his role and to them it was worth the gamble.
O’Reilly won a few million extra because of Calagary’s ineptitude at center….the Avs were forced to match…and overpay….but it was better than the alternative.

I am still missing the point I guess….how are his 32 point season related to his contract now or Eller or DD’s in any way. DD is not effective defensively at all, does not kill penalties or match against top lines defensively. Eller likely has that abiiltiy but has not been put into that role yet and proven he can do it although I am quite certain he can. Until Eller does it and/or DD becomes a two way stalwart they are not related.
Can you in simpler terms explain how his 32 point campagin is related to his contract 2 years later ?

The trading partner will just have to work out an extension at the time of the trade.

They don’t need to get better value than Calgary’s 1st + 3rd, because by that time the comparison will be invalidated by the fact that Colorado will have received an extra year of service from O’Reilly. That isn’t to say a 1st + would be out of the question.

So the only player in the last five drafts that O’Reilly has out-produced from an offensive level is Kyle Turris(who was a terrible pick by Wayne Gretzky).

The idea that O’Reilly would become a top three pick is ludicrous. On the defensive side O’Reilly is excellent. He’s always involved in the play and competes harder than most.

Having said that, the Avalanche already have Duchene and Stastny. Duchene’s talent and offensive production speaks for itself. Paul Stastny has for the last two years played with a fourth liner in David Jones, coincidentally Jones has produced back to back twenty goal seasons and nearly hit the thirty goal mark two years ago. Also, Chris Stewart’s career has taken a nose dive. Any guesses as to who his centreman was in Colorado when he was producing numbers that had every fan from every team pining for him? Yep, Stastny it is.

I don’t have a problem with O’Reilly as a player. But he has modest offensive ability and a now a contract that is typically awarded to guys who have his defensive ability but produce multiple seasons with offensive consistency.

We’ll see if O’Reilly can put up another 50 point season, but I have my doubts.

And even if he’s able to do it. Why pay $5 million to a third line centreman?

O’Reilly is a lot of Ryan Callahan..but better offensively. He is a heart and soul guy but with more offense…he is still young and will likely be a Pleks typoe player as you poited out. His Dad…while he should’t have said it made some good points…much like the Habs situation where they gave Gorges way too much money and term IMO…the leadership factor was considered. O’Reilly’s offensive ceiling is much higher and he is on the upswing. The corrent price for now should probably have been around 3.5-4 tops but Calgary was trying to nab a player they know will get better…they were willing to overpay short term and O’Reilly’s imporovement looks like a sure bet for years to come.
O’Reilly is not a 3rd line center….if he was given Jrodan Eberle and Yakupov as wingers I am quite sure he could put up nealry as many points as RNH and ensure the line was not going to get scored on at the same time.

That’s your opinion, like mine about his value and not a matter of fact.

O’Reilly played with Landeskog and Hejduk more than any other two forwards last season. 100% of O’Reilly’s even strength ice-time last year was spent with Landeskog. The other line combinations included Downie, Mueller and Olver.

Once the offer sheet is made you really would have taken those picks for Ryan O’Reilly at this point of his career and in Colorado’s situation? Colorado did not want to give him that money…tehy were forced to or lose him for returns they won;t see for quite some time. They tried to keep him where he should have been but as always is the case in the NHL some GM always bites and overpays.

O’Reilly trade value: In this draft, if the pick was outside the top 6, I’d rather have O’Reilly. Top 6? I’d take the pick.

O’Reilly $ value: 2 way centers who put up 50+ points are worth 5M (see sir Plekers, Staal). O’Reilly did that, but only once, and he was an RFA. If I were a GM holding his rights, I’d like to see more of that before offering $5M, and would therefore offer a bridge contract for less money. If I were an opposing GM I might offer $5M per on a short term if a bit of overpayment was needed to acquire the asset.

So its seems that you agree with what both GMs did. As bad as Calgary is, they still could very easily stay out of the bottom six in the league with teams like Columbus, Washington, and Florida, not to mention professional tankers like the Islanders and Oilers lurking.

@Ed, I don’t dispute for a minute the combination of talent and size which O’Reilly brings to the ice. I am just concerned that he has a great of “white noise” surrounding him, and this will be difficult for him to overcome. If indeed he is a kid of great character (not making fun) he will overcome this and indeed help Colorado. I just think the whole negotiation between Colorado and O’Reilly was handled poorly and the Feaster Factor simply brought the story to a quick conclusion. I do hope he plays well and shows what a player he can become.

About the O’Reilly situation, Feaster did them a big favour. It was the only way they could keep him given how sour the negotiation has gone. Makes you wonder about collusion, although there is no denying that Calgary really needs a player like O’Reilly.

And there is no way O’Reilly gets qualified again at $6.5M. If I was a betting man, it will be team elected arbitration. Then Colorado can keep him at a more reasonable cost, as even an arbitrator would not give this guy $6.5M unless he really starts lighting up the league, which seems unlikely.

For the last few weeks we’ve been hearing bad things about the relationship between O’Reilly and the Avalanche. So why did they match Calgary’s offer? They could have gotten a first and a third, and in the process screwed the Flames. As it is, they are forced to sign a player they’re on bad terms with to a bigger contract than they were prepared to. Then they face the possibility of losing the player in a couple of years or of running into cap problems. On top of this, the pressure on O’Reilly to produce will be huge. Look at how a big second contract has worked so far for Tyler Myers. The offer by Calgary made no sense, but the Avalanche’s response makes even less.

There’s a whole lot of what if in O’Reilly. He’s a big Canadian Boy. He’s shown above average potential at an early age, and he could be the next superstar. What if in three years he’s getting 90-100 points a season? If he’s getting results at 22, and the only direction is up, then you have to sign a player like him.

His dad needs to stay out of his affairs and right now in the dressing room the guys are all over O’Reilly.

“Hey Ryan you wanna go out tonight? Maybe ask your dad first”

It’s all just business until these players that hold out come back. Just like the lockout.

It appears that Diaz has been watching lots of tape. His improvement in this area from last season is one of the biggest reason the teams record is what it is. One wonders what the impact of such solid veterans such as Frankie has on the youngsters like him.

NEW YORK – Peter Puck was buried today – in a net, not a casket.
The pauper’s funeral was a sad end for the former TV superstar who taught an entire generation the basics of hockey.
Starring on both CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada and NBC’s Hockey Game of the Week in the 1970s, Puck explained to viewers young and old new to the game how it is played. His highly entertaining three-minute segments drew huge audiences and helped popularize hockey in American markets that, until then, hadn’t paid much attention to the sport.
He became so well-known that he was the subject of a roast, with Don Rickles leading the barrage of good-natured insults.
Unfortunately for Puck he proved too good an educator and both networks eventually decided his services were no longer required and let him go. He drifted from job to job after that – he worked the Chuck A Puck circuit for several years – and in every case he ended up getting dumped, usually in the corner.
Puck rebounded in 2007 when his likeness appeared as a logo on a line of apparel and a DVD was released of his entire series but the comeback was short-lived and he once again slid into oblivion.
Devastated, Puck took to drink and downed a bottle of whiskey every day the rest of his life, one cannonading shot after another.
In a last desperate bid to secure a steady income, he even tried his hand – and other parts – at being a porn star, starring in such flicks as What the Puck?!!, What the Puck II?!! and Offside – and Loving It! but he failed to parlay his former celebrityhood into X-rated stardom. However, he was well-respected within the industry for what was euphemistically described as his “stamina,” which he attributed to being made of vulcanized rubber.
Puck’s last public appearance was in a commercial shilling urinal deodorizers.
His former agent declined to give the cause of death but experts estimate Puck suffered 957,330 concussions while he still worked at ice level in the American Hockey League before becoming the voice of hockey.

Wow, JB is back in all his splendour, I thought for awhile that the lockout had set you back, but it seems you are back in the groove. No honourable mentions however, from Erik Cole when he too tried to revive Peter’s livelihood with the Puck Bettman hats? How quickly you have turned on Mr. Cole.

If he’s a Patrice Bergeron then Feaster’s move was perfectly reasonable. Calgary are picking 8th right now. Would you trade a number 8 pick for a 22 year old Patrice Bergeron?

I know I would.

You’re all making the mistake of assuming that Calgary’s pick will be a franchise player. That is pretty unlikely. They would need to lose repeatedly to catch “down” with Columbus, Buffalo, Washington and even Florida. Then you would still have no certainty f a franchise player, even picking #3 or 4. Cam Barker, Benny Pouliot, Kyle Turris, etc …

Patrice Bergeron may be a defense first player but he’s always had the offensive ability to fill in as a #1 centreman.

O’Reilly is a poor man’s Jordan Staal. He’s never shown the ability to be a front line offensive player at any level through junior.

Edit: It doesn’t have to be a top 4 pick to get a “franchise player”. Jones, Mackinnon, Drouin and Barkov may be seen as the only franchise players but what if Colorado ends up with that #5 pick?

By adding Calgary’s pick they would have near certainly had a package that could land them a top three pick if not first overall. With Calgary’s age, injuries, lack of depth, lack of centremen and the fact that they play in the tougher conference I don’t think it’s unrealistic to suggest that Calgary is in line for a finish near the bottom of the league. And in addition, even if Calgary doesn’t finish in the bottom five their pick could still end up being the #1 overall pick this year.

Check out the Department of Players Safety “Kneeing” video. The real reason the McQuaid hit was not a suspension was the uniform he was wearing. There is no difference in that hit and O’Brien’s on clip later.

The Ryan O’Reilly contract with Colorado shows the importance of a good agent and a good GM. I think in this scenario, while Mark Guy (O’Reilly’s agent) may have eventually gotten his client a big contract, has he actually helped his client in the long term?

Would seem to me that the only way Calgary makes the offer is if the agent has let it be known that his client is willing to sign therefore leaving the Avs. I think this scenario is different from the Weber offer sheet which he signed with Philly only to have Nashville match. In the Weber situation, you have a player who has already established himself in the league, and as such having him come back to the Predators was still acceptable as he is simply too good a player to not want back.

O’Reilly now has all kinds of extra pressures on him, and I am not sure this is going to help the continued development of this young man who clearly has immense talent and size. We can be thankful that PK had excellent representation and that MB was also patient in how these two sides strutured their deal. PK should hit his homerun on his next contract, but over the next two seasons he won’t be forced to play up to the pressures of a massive contract.

All we have to do is look at the Dipietro contract to see what that has done to his development.

Morning Gerald. I probably should leave this to more educated capoligist like Habfab and Ben but to me it is cap related. With the reduction in cap next year it’s going to become even more important for young restricted stars like PK and O’Reilly to have a few “cheap” years in order for teams to manage the cap. For Colorado that probably becomes an issue moving forward. I really think that’s what MB’s priority was with the PK negotiations and that is what drove the Cole trade. Could it be the smart GM’s are attempting to get ahead of the curve that is coming shortly?

Yes revenue appears it will trend upward, I’m not so sure we were convinced of this 6 months ago. IMO a $5 cap hit is for a player that is “guaranteed” to put up fairly big numbers. The quotes because it’s really expected or very likely…. I just do not see that.

Not looking to nitpick here Gerald but O’Reilly doesn’t have a talent level that would validate this contract. Especially at his age which is where we agree.

Jay Feaster was a complete moron for signing O’Reilly to this offer sheet in a year where his team will be lucky if it digs itself out of the bottom ten of the league.

Greg Sherman and Colorado who almost certainly won’t dig themselves out of the bottom ten had an opportunity to add a fantastic draft pick that well could have set them up for the next ten years.

What makes this even better is that these teams are likely to be in the same division next year. All Sherman needed to do was look at the Kessel trade to see how well he could have set his team up for the future and in turn how much this deal would have kept Calgary in the basement for years to come.

I can’t remember a time when there was such high demand for such an average player.

Edit: Sherman could have just paid a significant amount of money to not draft two of the top five prospects in the coming draft.

You don’t think Boston would trade Kessel straight up for Seguin today?

Also, it’s not just what adding the pick does in itself, it’s what it does in conjunction with their own pick. The scenario of not matching the offer sheet would have had a stronger than normal likelihood of landing the Avalanche 2 top ten picks in a great draft for high end talent.

I’m curious as to how much you’ve seen the Avalanche play and O’Reilly specifically Ed.

I make a habit of watching the Sharks and Blackhawks nearly as much as the Habs so I’ve seen O’Reilly in around ten games over the last three years. That’s certainly not a lot I’ll admit but I’m not going by a generous statistician who like the same for the Islanders is incredibly generous in awarding takeaways.

You make some valid points, Gerald. Feaster Famine couldn’t develop a decent centre so he decided to poach one. He’s the first GM to break away from the lockout brotherhood.

As for O’Reilly, he had the least amount of leverage of the big three RFAs and still came out as the big winner. He only has to play 29 games this year and he will still make more money than Benn or Subban. Benn’s immediate future is set at 5M while Subban will move forward from 3.7M. O’Reilly is basically guaranteed 6.5M for the next three years. Benn is the franchise in Dallas while Subban is a major building block in Montreal. O’Reilly is a complete player in so many ways but still appears to be a 2nd line centre.

Your point about pressure on a 21 year old player is very true. But the NHL has decided to fast track young players so it’s a league wide situation, not just an isolated case or two.

Let’s say Galchenyuk gets 60 points in his 3rd year. If given the icetime, that could easily happen. What do you think his agent is going to be demanding?

Good points all 24. I guess I think of potentially Galchenyuk might develop (OK probably develop) into a one of a kind type player. Those players are handled differently in my book. O’Reilly? Maybe he is also. That’s why GM’s make the big buck I suppose.

Mornin’ Cal and Frank and all who are coming down from elation of the “best game of the year.” Thx HF for your nightowl work and all the links.

I thought of Frankie the Cube when he was a young Hab the same way I think of David Desharnais: paragons of determination, and future leaders and motivators in coaching, managing and other such jobs.

Now that I rarely go to the library to read the Gazette, I forgot how enjoyable write-ups like Pat Hickey’s on the Cube are. Frankie, captain of Memorial Cup champs Granby, coached by M. Therrien. Teammate Georges Laraque…..great reading.

Has anyone come up with a good, no, make that great nickname for David Desharnais?

Ed, it does indeed appear he is an excellent up and coming young/big centerman. However, that dressing room was already talking about the kid being gone. It is going to require some good work there to manage this scenario. Also, he is now the 2nd highest paid player on that team.

In regard to Ed’s post, I don’t think the issue is O’Reilly’s ability. As I mentioned further down the thread, it’s the way Sherman and Feaster handled the situation. Idiotic moves like this just help bump up young players’ salaries all around the league.

A year from now, someone is going to get traded out of Colorado. I won’t be surprised if it’s O’Reilly.

Sorry, 24, but a guy scoring so little ain’t a 6.5 mill 2nd line center. He’s put up the numbers of a #3 center and should be paid that way. He is now waaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpaid.
If the Avs think they’ll do better than a 1st and a 3rd this season, they’re delusional.

Duchene and O’Reilly were drafted the same year. In 2014, they both are RFA with arbitration rights. Landeskog’s contract is also up as he will be a RFA for the first time (no rights). Stastny will be an UFA that same summer as will Downie and Varlamov.

Throw in the Johnson trade with St Louis and you can see that Sherman is quickly screwing up a good thing.

The Avs argument that O’Reilly will make the Flames better is an incredibly shallow one. He hasn’t played anywhere since April last. This offer would have screwed the Flames for the rest of this season and next for a (not much of a ) character player.
Really bad move matching. The draft is very deep this year.
EDIT- my bad- he played a whole 12 games in the KHL this season.

Why did we let Frankie B get away in the first place? I remember him cold-cocking that RAT Darcy Tucker after he boarded him. Habs ended up coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win in SO on Souray’s pretty slap-fake deke!

Bouillion grew an inch and was too tall for Gainey’s Midget Hockey League for washed up veterans and rookies who can’t skate or shoot good team….you know right next to Crazy Bob’s mental hospital for washed up veterans….you know the one Gauthier kept open, and right along there with that asylum keeper Tiny Tim our rookie go getter for even smaller midgets.. the Tiny Trevor Timmins Midget School……Who would have thought Molson would try and find even smaller tiny tykes and his continued support of that mighty midget Gionta….alongside with creating the NHL’s first UFC for midget tough guys headed by Prust…..mind you all this looks absolutely ridiculous when bigger tougher teams come to the Flea Circus that is the habs….maybe one day when the dust settles Bergevin will actually sign a real NHL player.

That’s where Timmins scouts tiny rookies to add to our mighty smurf team the habs. This is also the same url that Bergevin found Prust. Apparently tiny midget hockey players who are broke and want to be overpaid and get their contracts bought out can come to the Montreal team. Gionta continues to be our star mighty midget. When Markov and other habs see our midgets being pushed around they just give up and we watch as the habs give away the last 2 periods in the game…..tinyurl go away, come and give midgets to the laffs anyway, tinyurl please leave Molson Bergevin and Timmins alone and tinyurl go away…..hopefully this will stop the habs from continuing their horrible experiment to see if midgets can play in the NHL. We should be complaining to the NHL board of govs that this has to stop. They should be limiting the habs to have just one or two tiny tykes, as much as the rich man Molson loves midget pony shows, this has to stop if only to protect the good name of the NHL.

yeah, I dont believe any attendance stats. was that the Florida game that they said was a sell out this year? B.S.!!! And I think they’re still allowed to count tickets that are GIVEN AWAY! what a joke

So I read some of the Flames blogs to gauge some of the fans reaction to the offer sheet. One commenter actually justified it by basically saying Feaster sucks in the draft so you might as well trade your picks. Haha, if you GM sucks at the most important and crucial part of his job shouldn’t you fire him?

I think we should send HH over there to teach the importance of tanking™.

Chrisadiens and HabFan10912, one of the few father son tandems on HIO.

I think we all know how Calgary fans feel right now about their current management. Feaster is just god awful and his latest stunt which almost cost a re-building team’s draft picks was yet another head scratcher. Does the Flames owner not care about winning? Is it an owners group like the Leafs? I really feel bad for Flames fans, and it reminds me of our putrid situation with Gautier last year.

Chrisadiens and HabFan10912, one of the few father son tandems on HIO.

I think the Flaes are in a much worse position than we were last year. Last year we had a good team with a couple of overpaid under-achievers, 3 rookies, and a ton of injuries. But we also had a good stockpile of prospects, and young franchise goalie, dman, and powerforward. CGY doesn’t have any of that.

Actually the Flames have quite a few interesting picks in the low minors. The last couple of drafts they’ve done pretty well, but it’s just that most of the players are 2-3 years away (at least) from making a mark in the NHL.

The problem with the Flames actually goes down to ownership. Although I dislike the GM, I’ve heard that ownership has previously refused to consider trading Iginla and Kipprusoff and begin a rebuild because those two fill the seats.

PK Subban has got to be pretty pissed right now. There is really no way to compare the value of a forward with that of a Dman, but Ryan O’Reilly just came out on top in the RFA race with Subban.

O’Reilly’s prorated salary for this year will be 2.9M. That works out to $100,000 a game which is 8.2M a season.

Next year he gets 6.5M which will also be the starting point for his qualifying offer in 2014. I believe PK receives 3.7M for next season.

There may eventually be a contract extension for O’Reilly but this certainly isn’t what the stingy Avs had in mind when they tried to lowball O’Reilly.

So much for the lockout and the salary cap.

This is very good new for Hab fans. O’Reilly may have helped the Flames improve their seeding in the standings during the second half. Maybe even make the playoffs. I was kind of counting on that 2nd rounder being in the top 35.

Here’s a few questions for the Avs. You now have three high end centres. Which one is moving to the wing and how will their icetime (and production) be affected? Secondly, O’Reilly, Landeskog and Duchene all become RFAs in 2014 at the exact same time and Stastny becomes a UFA. That could be a lot of coin moving forward.

Sherman totally misplayed this situation right from the start. His salary structure for the Avs is now in ruins. Feaster Famine can’t develop young talent in Calgary so he decided to lift a page from Kevn Lowe’s book. He’s now public enemy #1 in the NHL boardrooms. Just another reason why the players will eventually win the lockout battle (again).

I think CGY has no choice but to be big time sellers at the deadline. Iggy, Cammy, Tanguay, Bouwmeester, Giordano, Wideman could all be gone. They need picks, and they need prospects, and they can maybe make a small splash in free agency this summer.

Lost in the hoopla of the Cole trade and beating the Leafs and everything else that has been taking place, Ryan White has quietly earned his place in the lineup once again.

I always see people talking about this player or that as a good fourth line centre. We’ve got a good fourth line centre in Ryan White.

He’s winning 53.6% of his faceoffs, best on the team. He’s averaging 2 hits per game and with 26 minutes of 130 minutes of ice time on the season, he actually stacks up well against everybody’s new favourite grinder, Brandon Prust (49 hits in 260 minutes of ice time).

Most importantly, White has earned just one minor penalty in 66:27 of ice-time since coming out of Therrien’s doghouse. The Habs are rolling four lines deep right now and White is a big part of that. White’s skating is back to what we saw in 2010-11 after a forgettable 2011-12, and he is gritty enough to play on the fourth line and supply the team with energy and can also help out on the penalty kill, sparing Plekanec from over-taxing himself in that role.

I’m really happy to see a guy who so many were willing to blast off to another team doing well. He’s obviously got to play smart and avoid stupid penalties. I think he was trying too hard coming out of the gate. As long as he knows he has a role, he should be fine.

I like Ryan White and really like what he brings to the team. Agree he is turning into a good 4th line centre. If he can stay out of penalty trouble and continue to improve on faceoffs its a real good find by Trevor Timmons and his staff. Good thing Therrien didn’t give up on him.

Now if Marc Bergeron can do something abt Travis Moen. He is 30 and makes too much $$ for a 4th liner. Prust has taken over his role on the team and is far more effective at it than Moen was.

Don: And that’s why I think they should make longer gloves mandatory.
Ron: Okay, moving on, we just got a minute left. Don, the hockey world was rocked this week by the tragic death of Walt Mickabyansky, who was fatally injured in a fight with fellow tough guy Bob Buccuda. Some people
Don [disgusted, interrupts]: Look, I feel bad for the guy, what’s-his-name. He was finally getting ice time, up to three minutes a game, and then this happens. In a contract year, for pete’s sake.
He was one of the good guys. Never gave less than 100 per cent on any of his four shifts. Ya coulda mistaken him for a Canadian, the way he hustled.
Ron: There’s been a lot of clamour around the league and society in general that it’s time the NHL banned fighting, that
Don [hyper disgusted]: Gimme a break! There’s always been a bunch of limp-wristed panty waists looking for an excuse to neuter hockey by taking out the rough stuff, the stuff that makes the game so great. Yeah, sure, they’ll try to use what happened to get rid of fighting. And then boarding. And checks to the head. Where will it stop? It won’t stop until they begin awarding style points for making pretty passing plays and handing out red cards for giving a guy a love tap with your stick as he blows by you.
Ron: Don, you’ve got to admit that what happened crossed the line and something needs to be done
Don [really, really disgusted] Why? WHY? Do we even know he died because of the fight? Maybe he’s like one of those guys you read about, who take care of themselves, exercise, diet, run in marathons, and then die doing up their shoe laces. Maybe he was one of those guys. If he hadn’t been fighting, he coulda still died horkin’ too hard, or signin’ an autograph.
Ron: Don, he had seven concussions in the five seasons he played. Doesn’t that tell
Don [oh, man, is he ever disgusted, once-in-a-decade disgusted] I’ll tell ya what that tells me! THE GUY COULD TAKE A PUNCH!
And now, all of a sudden, he dies because of one more knock on the noggin? Yeah, right. No, I say it was somethin’ else that killed him, one of those energy drinks, or watchin’ too many Nature of Things shows.
I tell ya, it wasn’t a little scrap that killed Mickka, Mickka – Walt – because Walt knew the Code, and the Code is: You don’t die at the end of somebody else’s fist. Ya just don’t.
Ron: We just got 30 seconds left. So what are you saying, Don? The league doesn’t need to do anything?.
Don: That’s what I’m sayin’. But there is something to learn from all this. [Leans into camera, points his finger] Kids, take it from me, there’s nothing wrong with a good fight. But at least save it for the game. Getting killed in practice is just plain wrong.
Ron: That’s right, kids, no one likes a grave mistake.
Don Cherry and Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC.

Pursuant in the matter of Misters Donald “Bark” Cherry and Ronalds Wee Willy Billy MacLean’s claims of psychological trauma pursuant to the burlesque and deride nature of comments written by one John Belly’s Full (of what, we have yet to determine, but leave ourselves open for rebuttal) on an important social medium known as HO, we at Noggin and Nuttin (basement division of the CBC legal department) hereby reequest that you cease and desist and written criticisms of a mean nature in relation to said gentlemen, as well as their families, neighbours, six fans at Sportsnet, and their dogs.
You are hereby notified that if you do not comply with this request, we will immediately file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Attorney General’s office. Civil and criminal claims will be pursued.

So Leafs win in OT, Bruins win in OT against the Sens, and the Sabres look pretty good for at least 1 point against Florida………..every team in the NE gets at least 1 point tonight can’t gain any distance for the Habs wtf?

I am torn with who I hate more Ottawa or Boston..its so hard..the problem with Ottawa winning is that it would be six in a row..and I would never hear the end of it..they would be happily planning the route..

At least Ottawa doesn’t have the league protecting them after Chara nearly killed Pacioretty or has a dirty whiny player like Marchand (yes, Chris Neil is a major annoyance, but Marchand is worst) or a number of other over-inflated goons.

But the OT should still be 5 on 5 not 4 on 4 or 3 on 3 or whatever they are thinking. This making it so someone wins a game and they don’t have to play an hour or 2 more is not right. Games should not be decided by a skills competion for sure. But I also agree that a team can’t go into triple OT if they have to catch a plane to fly to another City.

Bouillon one punching tucker is probably my favourite part of that video. Frankie has played well above from what i expected from him this year. I’d be ok if he gets another one year contract for next season from MB.

Carolina giving it to the Pens 4-1. Canes just got Skinner and 3 others back from injury. They will be tougher to beat from here on in.
Pens will be pissed on Sat. night against the Habs cause they lost. We need to be ready…

That’s why it was said in the media during the Subban holdout that there were no offer sheets and none forthcoming. After Weber, GMs know that offer sheets always get matched and you only accomplish looking like an asshole.

Happy for Frankie. Remember when Bob told him to come back hurt against Boston in the playoffs and he still fought. He got hurt more and Bob tossed him out like garbage (good ridance to Gainey BTW). Glad he got to come back and finish his career with more competent management.

Only “little” vertically, haha. He redefines “stocky” actually, not surprised he could fight just about anyone. I always loved how surprised the taller tough guys looked when he would start punching their lights out, haha.

He’s a very dependable and durable defenseman that rarely makes mistakes and rarely turns over the puck. And despite his size, he does not back away from the physical play. He’s also good at moving the puck.

First of all, he was drafted 18th over-all in a shallow draft year. If he never makes the NHL, I don’t think that really fits the bill of “first round bust”. There are no first round picks after him who have panned out yet either.

He suffered a high-ankle sprain earlier this year and it is the kind of injury that won’t be fully healed until next year. That’s why he didn’t get an invite and it’s why he has struggled in Hamilton. Reports are that he’s started to pick it up, but this year will be a write-off for him.

Chipchura’s career was changed forever by a different injury. He severed his Achilles tendon completely. He was a good but not great skater before, and his speed and agility never came back.

But he never stopped being a big, tough, heart and soul kind of player, which is why he’s still in the NHL. Having a really good season with the Coyotes, 4 goals and 7 pts in 19 games playing just ten minutes a game on the 4th line. Decent face-off guy. Drops the gloves. I think he’d look really good as our 4th line centre, and I think most of you would agree if he were here!

Good for Frankie, he was a favourite of mine in his previous go-round with the Habs, and I am happy to have him back.

I love continuity in a team. I prefer to see players stay and become a real team over years, not go through a revolving door. In fact, the only thing I like about the Ryder-Cole trade is that it brings back an ex-Hab who I thought should not have been let go in the first place. Even if I would have preferred Cole stay.

I didn’t like letting Koivu walk when he was ready to tie the record for longest captaincy by a Hab, and time has proven that letting him go and replacing him with Gomez was a hell of a dumb move. Koivu is still going strong and Gomez is totally washed up. Koivu would sure look good as our third-line centre now.

I hope that in five years I’m looking at a Habs team that has developed the players it has drafted into a solid veteran core: Pacioretty, Price, Subban, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Eller, etc. I’d like to see Plekanec and Markov retire as Habs. Continuity in any organization will lead to success for the group.

Looking back, I wonder if Gainey was forced to blow up his 2009 Habs? Letting Koivu walk along with 11 other free agents … trading McDonaugh and Higgins for the Gomez contract … signing little players for big money. Gainey was always so slow and methodical, that off season was very un-Gainey-like.

There is no nice way to say this, so … anytime I read a post where someone says something like “he’s just a 4th liner” or “who cares about the 4th line” I just assume the poster is a complete maroon. Who watches hockey and thinks something like that?

The Habs currently have a great 4th line and it’s a big contributor to their success.

who is giving out big checks? Therien has put a stop on running out of position to make big hits….Subban has cost goals doing that, Emelin has cost goals (have yo noticed how less often he is doing it too). Therrien does not want them sacrificing position or allowing themselves to be beat…he is having them manage their gaps long enough to get help with backpressure…..keep them tot he outside. there si a reasont he team is giving up so few shots….limiting the running around hitting is a big part of that.

Agree, but have read that ownership there is a lot to blame. Apparantly ownership and Iginla are very tight, and they simply don’t want to live life without their big superstar. Until ownership allows a GM to trade Iginla, the rebuild never begins. But I still think Feaster is a below average GM.

As long as we have flexible defensemen like Gorges who can be pushed around and pushed away, the other teams will always have a clear shot at net. I realize it is hard to always defend the net against the crash the net hockey we have in the NHL but honestly, it is time the habs if they are serious about winning a cup, get bigger tougher defense, and at least one or two bigger forwards to defend our mighty tiny tyke offense.

Look at how Prust when he is defended, (who would have thought our only tough man needs to be defended) can make plays and be a good quality two way player. Losing Cole showed our weakness in the Laff game where we won. Granted we skated circles around them, but then we did not succomb to their style of play largely cause Gionta was not on the ice.

Maybe that is the secret. Play Gionta less, put him on only when needed and most of all stop pairing small tiny tykes together with other small tiny tykes.